Got One at Last!

[AndyCook]

Great news you found what looks like a nice example of a Colorado.
If you lived up I need north east Scotland like i do, you would appreciate the heated seats on a -10 degC snowy morning .

 

[stuzbot]

I think, in view of the fact my AT fluid is going brown and with the unknown state of my cooling system in general, I'll probably go for sticking a new radiator in there and flushing the transmission, while I'm at it. Does anyone know of a guide on doing that combo? There are a fair few posts on here on doing the transmission flush by repeatedly draining the transmission sump and then topping up again to gradually flush it clean. But I can't find anything on the procedure when a radiator swap is being done at the same time.

And do I need anything else apart from:

* New Radiator [duh!]
* Coolant [10 litres?]
* ATF [7 litres?]
* Filter for transmission

[I'm presuming Roughtrax is the place to go for the radiator and filter. As you all seem to rate their parts pretty highly]

 

[Shayne]

I don't have an auto so i don't know and i'd be happy to be corrected but personally i'd consider them two different jobs . I have read lots of confused headaches from people on here about changing the auto box oil so if it were me i think i'd opt to dilute the old with new letting a little out and putting a little in once a week until i was satisfied what comes out looks good .

 

[stuzbot]

But doesn't the auto box oil also circulate through the bottom oil cooler section of the radiator? So, presumably that also needs topping up again when fitting a new rad.

 

[Shayne]

Yes but if you pull the oil pipe off and block it while you swap the rad you might lose a teacup of oil .

 

[stuzbot]

But I want to 'lose' as much oil as possible, since I want to flush the tranny too. So, on the face of it, this is a good thing; draining the tranny sump plus swapping in a new radiator means I'll effectively be flushing whatever amount of transmission fluid the radiator holds in addition to what the tranny sump holds.

What I'm unclear on is; if I swap in a new radiator and top up the transmission with the total of both those amounts, will it find its way into the transmission oil cooler in the radiator just from topping up the transmission, or does it need some more complicated priming? Just wary of avoiding an airlock in the new radiator and frying my transmission, if it's not so straightforward a refilling procedure.

 

[Beastrider]

I just live with radio beep - I’ve never tried to stop it. Mine is a 1999 V-ref auto KZJ95R and I don’t hear the whirring noise. I don’t get the hazard lights either. The whirring noise may be the ABS pump (as SteveJB said). I think the whirring would come from the pump motor - see picture (red spot)

For auto fluid, I used the Aisin ATF6 from Roughtrax. Autoboxes do not drain fully and you’ll get out about 40% of the total fluid out of the drain plug. I drained out about 4 litres of cold fluid (it says only 2 litres in the manual, but believe me, about 4 litres comes out). Replace that amount and run for a short journey to mix the new with the old fluid. Then drain another 4 litres and replace with a bit less - say 3 litres. Do a short run and go through the level checking procedure. Transmission fluid expands as it gets hot so you can’t just drain out hot fluid and refill with same amount of cold (this could result in overfilling, which is bad). Top up as necessary until you get the correct level, using the level checking procedure. Overall, this changes about 66% of the total fluid. This wastes some of the new fluid but is a relatively quick procedure.

Lastly, in my experience, I have found Roughtrax to be excellent.

 

[Shayne]

Hey another thing i should mention , i reckon that rust came on quick after an unhealthy dose of wet salted road so get a hosepipe or better still a sprinkler under there even if your not ready to start with a wire brush .

 

[BobMurphy]

I expect you've discovered that the rear window wash comes from a bottle in the back door - not the bottle in the front . . . . .

I had someone turn up at my place asking if I knew how to fix his 'non working' rear washer . . Yes I said, and filled the bottle .

A happy chappie !

On the Auto, the Transfer Lever is mounted on an extension piece that links the Auto box and Transfer Box. This means that the Transfer Selector Shafts stick out of the front of the Transfer Box, unlike on a manual where they are inside.

The protruding bits rust - resulting in a stiff or seized Transfer Lever (I'll look for a picture . . ).

Rusty Selector Shafts on an 'Auto' Transfer Box (this wasn't bad enough to cause a problem).

See the blanking plate on top ?? That's where the Transfer Lever Turret sits on a Manual Transmission.

The 'Auto' Transfer Box doesn't have Synchromesh on the High/Low engagement gear whereas the Manual one does. I think the electrical gremlins require an 'Auto' to be stationary with the Auto Box in neutral before swapping High/Low. Manuals can be changed (carefully) on the (very low speed) move .

Bob.

 

[stuzbot]

get a hosepipe or better still a sprinkler under there even if your not ready to start with a wire brush .

Given my propensity for kicking over my oil drain tray or, on one memorable occasion; pouring 5 litres of fresh oil into my van and then watching a lovely golden slick spread all over the carpark because I'd forgotten to put the drain plug back in; I suspect my chassis is going to get a bit of unintentional preventative rust coating when I do my fluids change.

I expect you've discovered that the rear window wash comes from a bottle in the back door - not the bottle in the front . . . . .


The protruding bits rust - resulting in a stiff or seized Transfer Lever... I think the electrical gremlins require an 'Auto' to be stationary with the Auto Box in neutral before swapping High/Low....

Yes. I found the rear window washer bottle. And also the secret panel with the jack and tool wrap.

I worked the transfer box lever back and forward a few times today. Could barely move it at first but, after a few goes it started moving freely. So either it had just seized through never actually being used... (seller told me he'd never touched it) ... or I've broke the fecker! I'll add greasing those levers to my list of chores.

Your info about the lack of syncromesh might also explain why it crunched slightly when going from H to L when I test drove. I was stationary but in Drive.

Good info. Thanks

 

[Shayne]

What meant is dont seal the salt in with rust prevention wash it off first .

 

[Lancashire Cruiser]

The problem is with these trucks is that they will run quite well with very limited maintenance due to Toyota’s build quality. Preventative maintenance is the key. When I got mine I changed all the cooling system despite everything seeming to be ok. The one thing I was concerned about was the radiator and which one to replace it with, there are lots to choose from, some being really cheap right up to the very expensive Toyota one which is still available through a main dealer. In the end I went off the recommendation of the guy I use to build radiators for my other cars which from memory was around £160 which to be honest I still thought was cheap. Anyway I’ll see how it goes. I still may buy a genuine one and keep it “in stock” just in case I need one in the future.

 

[stuzbot]

The problem is with these trucks is that they will run quite well with very limited maintenance due to Toyota’s build quality. Preventative maintenance is the key...

Well, I've just spent between £500 and £600 on Roughtrax [I'm not sure of the exact figure as it was difficult seeing through my tears] on a hefty preventative maintenance bundle of stuff; radiator, coolant, thermostat, tranny oil, transmission filter, oil filter, fuel filter, air filter, timing belt and tensioner. Plus another £30 odd on amazon for wire brushes and diesel additive.

Surely that's got to earn me a zillion brownie points from the motoring gods? My metal boy better purr like a kitten after that lots been installed!

 

[Shayne]

Aquasteel Rust Converter and Primer 2.5 Litre : Amazon.co.uk: Automotive

Aquasteel Rust Converter and Primer 2.5 Litre : Amazon.co.uk: Automotive

www.amazon.co.uk

 

[stuzbot]

I use this stuff:

Vactan — Performance Chemicals

www.performance-chemicals.net

I think they're all pretty much the same formula. Just marketed under different brand names. Being a VW owner of old, I already have a big bottle of it in.

Sand down, paint with Vactan, undercoat with red oxide primer [or the namby-pamby H&S approved modern equivalent], paint with black chassis paint. Takes fecking ages but, if it's done right, it'll not dare to rust again. Of course the prob with certain parts is they rust from the inside. Not much you can do in those circumstances, short of winning the lottery and buying a replacement galvanised chassis.

 

[Lancashire Cruiser]

I have used Aquasteel on my Land Rover Series One chassis, it seems to work very well on mildly rusted metal, no good if it’s crusty. All these products are no doubt the same basic formulation with different names.

 

[Tel Boy]

Plus one for Vactan, I've been using it for many years. It's excellent stuff. Widely used in the marine world because there aren't many products that are so good against salt water corrosion. I've seen quite a few old Thames sailing barges with all their ironwork protected with Vactan. My boat engines are painted with it, as well as the underneath of the Cruiser. They make it in a factory at Belvedere, not far from where I live in the Thames Delta. It seems odd going down there for just a litre of it when they have stacks of one-ton plastic containers lined up to be shipped out.

 

[Steve H]

Hi. Bit late to the party but just watched and listened to your video. Do you have an electric aerial fitted to your truck? That noise when you turn your ignition on sounds just like my electric aerial going up then stopping when fully out. Then when you turn off it goes down again. Your noise lasts about as long as my aerial takes to work. If your mast is broken off then the aerial could still be working but not showing above the mounting on the wing.

 

[stuzbot]

Oh. Interesting theory. I do have an electric aerial and it is snapped off. I'll have to stick my ear next to that and set if that's where the sound is coming from.

 

[stuzbot]

I think we have a winner!

Cheers @Steve H. After sticking my lug next to the aerial socket while the noise was happening, it deffo sounds like that's where it's coming from. and would also explain why it happens both on turning on the ignition [aerial is trying to extend] and turning off the ignition [aerial is trying to retract].

I'm still puzzled as to why I can't make it stop though. I've pressed the aerial retract button on the dash. Which you'd think would make the motor think its non-existent aerial was lowered, so it wouldn't try to extend or retract it any more. But it still makes the noise.